Response By
Bill Exley
Greg Curnoe Nihilist Spasm Band Megaphone and Stand, 1966
paint on galvanized iron with wire, wood, and tape Gift of William and Norma Exley, London, Ontario, 2019 © Estate of Greg Curnoe / SOCAN (2021)Response
Greg Curnoe constructed this megaphone for me, the Nihilist Spasm Band vocalist, so that people could hear the lyrics, not just the instruments. After the instruments became electronically amplified, a microphone usually replaced it. Its final appearance on stage was at Aeolian Hall in July, 2008 when the Band and others were invited to play in “Remembering James Reaney.” Reaney had included the Band with the megaphone in one of its first appearances in “Down Wellington” in July, 1966.
Bill Exley is a musician and retired teacher. In 1965, he formed the legendary Nihilist Spasm Band in London, with Hugh McIntyre, John Clement, John Boyle, Murray Favro, Archie Leitch, Art Pratten, and Greg Curnoe. Performing improvised music on homemade or modified instruments the NSB, recognized as the first noise band, have influenced and worked with a range of experimental musicians, from Sonic Youth to Joe McPhee.